Female Snowboard Documentary: Explore Iceland with One Life

Last May, several members of the One Life crew— professional snowboarders Chanelle Sladics, Kjersti Buaas, Sarka Pancochova and Marie France-Roy; musician Cindy Santini; and director Johnny Roderick—took advantage of their shared passions and traveled to the west side of Iceland. Surrounded by fjords, majestic waterfalls and natural hot springs, this group of friends lived on a sailboat, exploring the northwest tip of the island by foot for their first splitboard expedition. The show featured backcountry snowboarding, island exploring, and artic surfing. This 22min show premiered on Outside TV throughout the month of February and will continue to air throughout this year.

“As a group, we had a goal of making a documentary to show our passion for snowboarding, the beauty of Iceland, unique friendships and a well-established group dynamic. While experiencing a culture different from all of our origins, we also wanted to share our commitment to protecting the environment through sustainable living practices,” says Assistant Producer and Norwegian Olympic Bronze medalist Kjersti Buaas.

In the film we watch the girls splitboard straight up from their basecamp, the sailboat “Aurora”, and conquer first descents. “It was really special feeling for sure, but I didn’t really realize until it was done. I just wanted to get down safe and have as much fun as possible. With every scary experience, you feel more alive. It makes me wanna do stuff like this every day,” says Czech Republic Olympian Sarka Pancochova.

“I can remember pulling into the fjord the first night perfectly: it was around 11 p.m., the sky was pink as if the sun was still setting and I could spot all the magic lines I would be dreaming about that night. I couldn’t digest that I would be able to access these insane mountains by kayak in the morning, splitboarding up and ride them back down to the ocean for dinner! It was the most ultimate moment in my snowboard life. That fjord remained to be my favorite to snowboard, hike and wake up to. The group gathered around in celebration and it was the opening chapter bonding all members on our boat adventure including our Captain Siggi, our guide Danny and our new local friend Birna,” says Producer and Professional Snowboarder Chanelle Sladics. “I learned how magic it is to wake up with no Wi-Fi, cell signal or noise and how special we humans are when we no distractions from our digital world.

Explore Iceland with One Life is truly a unique film experience weaving friendships, first female descents, environmentalism and raw nature. “Located on the mid Atlantic ridge, with more than 200 volcanoes and over 600 hot springs, it is one of the most tectonically active places in the world,” says Kjersti Buaas. “Iceland is located in a special place on planet earth, which is allows them to produce 99% renewable energy, ranking it the world’s most environmentally friendly country, by The Yale University’s Center for Environmental Law and Policy.”

“This is about creating an opportunity to represent who we are and the story we want to tell. We are all so grateful to our sponsors, who jumped on board to support our collective dream and vision. Our story would have never come to life without the skills and expertise of Neu Production’s Director/Cinematographer, John Roderick. We will never forget our experience in Iceland,” says Chanelle.

About The Author

Colin Balke is a content editor for Splitboard.com who lives in Northern California. When not plucking away on a keyboard, he can be found splitboarding, camping, backpacking, or hanging out with family and friends.